Back to Basics

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43149638796102048972009-11-05T21:46:42.193-08:00Back to BasicsOne season, one day at a time.bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-80246442415200615662009-11-02T00:28:00.000-08:002009-11-03T12:54:33.421-08:00Boo!

Ben (left), with Jon in their Singapore army outfits, practising his "boo-ing" at a friend's party ahead of Halloween earlier...I brought the little girl, too; she wasn't in any particular costume, and it didn't matter. The brothers said she went along as "mommy"...Kait with her toy stroller that she loves to push around and forward and back, but not let me put any "pretend" baby/plush toy in it.

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-91383767240546115182009-10-27T00:13:00.000-07:002009-10-28T13:31:31.518-07:00Sky's the limit ii

A from-the-ground-up look at these fall foliage reaching for the sky, before the leaves will eventually all come down.Not sure what they are though; looked it up and came across the Hedge Maple with its three to five-lobed leaves. Is this it? Maybe you can help shed some light.

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-81992784000396201972009-10-22T23:49:00.000-07:002009-11-02T17:54:34.674-08:00As leaves fall

Small wonders...Simple pleasures...Let's start with these edible colours, from two of the fruits in season:Besides the Gala apples, there's also the Cameo on that plate on the left. Of the pears, including the ones on the right plate, are three varieties -- the green Anjou, the red and green (turned yellow on ripening) Bartletts, and the brown Bosc that's great for cooking and baking, and

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-46671896093861286022009-10-17T23:58:00.000-07:002009-10-26T22:55:46.472-07:00Sky's the limit

No looking back for Jon and Ben, as they keep going all the way to the top of this rock-climbing frame, one fine fall day.Kait looks on wistfully (hey, I want to be up there, too!), still clutching onto a leaf come off a tree.To be cont'd...

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-42968055375159561562009-10-09T00:58:00.000-07:002009-10-12T12:55:32.449-07:00Off the beaten track

Above: Kait, gleeful over a branch she picked up from the ground, uses it to poke a pine cone, and as a hiking stick -- to catch up with the guys! WAIT UP!!!There we were, visiting with our children's honorary grandpa in nearby Idaho, on that final weekend of summer last month:We traipsed around a little...... and stopped to gaze a lot...Ahhh...... the majesty of His handiwork!Jon and Ben didn't

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-10107582972426406592009-09-30T23:58:00.000-07:002009-10-19T12:50:05.341-07:00Playing it cool

One summer afternoon last month...Taking the children to this splash pad (new to us, and it's also a new addition to the park), it was a good thing I didn't lose my way, when not knowing the swim lessons were cancelled, I'd driven with all three of them to the pool at first. All was not lost -- the boys' faces went from forlorn to this...And look at the little girl soaking up all the fun, too!

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-72854578399222182152009-09-17T00:04:00.000-07:002009-09-19T09:14:40.278-07:00Car accident... thankful we're OK

Sunday evening, Vern was driving when our car was hit by an SUV beating the stop light. The impact caused our vehicle to spin around, and the fender from the SUV had come off and looked like it was flying straight at us, along with some shards of glass (could be from its headlights), at the same time Vern's glasses flew off his face! It was really scary, to say the least!The children were all

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-14500624877201311802009-09-11T23:26:00.000-07:002009-10-09T11:51:48.553-07:00Write from the start

Kait discovers the joy of doodling...These pictures are from last month, three days after she turned 1, in the parents' room of the church we're attending. She'll be 13 months old come Sunday.And it was really funny, before that, when she already showed an interest in doodling, running off with my cellphone and using her index finger to make those swirly and draggy movements on it. The way she'd

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-3942962954978663272009-09-08T23:16:00.000-07:002009-09-17T14:28:13.688-07:00Water babies

At the different pool the boys ended their swim lessons, Kait got a chance at the water, too!This is how Kait will bring me for a walk in the shallowest part...Am holding her with one hand, while my other hand clicks the cellphone for these quick shots (couldn't resist; it was Kait's first time wading in the pool).Kait's thinking: Hmm... which way shall I go? Or does it really matter? You tell me

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-2758684624230635482009-09-02T23:59:00.000-07:002009-10-28T14:07:25.729-07:00Zooooom... school starts = summer's flown by (almost)!

"Zooooom!" go Jon and Ben and the other children in the neighbourhood, as they fly down the steep slope at the end of the street on their bikes and skate scooters! No matter how many times they've done that, and Ben had flipped in the air when his bike tipped over, I still hold my breath and pray everyone's being careful as they ride! I get that these are fun things they can't do on grass in the

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-11038884847033923362009-08-20T00:54:00.000-07:002009-08-25T12:13:00.220-07:00Gearing up

Look who's doing all the "power steering" at the store... ... shopping for back-to-school supplies. There's more to get organized, and more changes to adjust to -- new school, new friends and teachers, and new schedules; the boys start school in a week.The pint-sized gal isn't really big enough to sit in the double-seater (she's actually standing in the cart, under close supervision), but raring

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-83393270565431606772009-08-15T00:51:00.000-07:002009-08-25T12:04:10.215-07:00Cake for Kait... and play ball!

Thursday...Kait holds up one finger, as if saying: I'm 1!Now, take a closer look... Actually, she'd dipped her finger into the cake (mm... mm), eyeing it the moment I set it down in front of her! Good thing, good girl she didn't try and grab the whole plate (as happens, every now and then)...What worked, what did not: Managed to try this simple milk-free, butterless, and eggless recipe for the

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-66790363845895534972009-08-12T23:55:00.001-07:002009-10-12T13:23:51.358-07:00Stepping out

Kait hurrying after her brothers with their goggles at the pool...Like most younger siblings, she goes where they go, and with me driving them for their swim lessons four days a week, before summer will be over soon. And hanging around to wait for them to be done, it really helps that she's quite content with roaming around, but I have to steer her away from the water, of course. In many ways,

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-20137206033444249662009-08-03T00:54:00.000-07:002009-09-02T12:17:51.196-07:00Face to face

Left: Jon and Ben, before taking off in separate directions, strike a cheeky pose in front of the faces of former American presidents, sculpted by Gutzon Borglum at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.Here in South Dakota we got to stop briefly, during our move earlier. We hadn't planned on it, but the boys could use the running around -- to expend some energy, and this place sure beat the usual

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-343095709591173672009-07-24T23:28:00.000-07:002009-08-13T14:40:44.731-07:00Walking here and there

Kait wasted no time in toddling away once we moved here. That was a month ago, at 10 months 1 week old then, she is an early walker, and the Hokkien phrase "gia lai gia ke" describes well all the walking here and walking there she's been doing since...She loves to play ball, too -- can throw, pass, kick, and does a pretty good job at stealing the ball from her two Gor Gors... if they'll let her!

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-44664830274397317152009-07-18T01:45:00.000-07:002009-10-12T13:33:15.174-07:00As far as the eye can see

The road stretches on and on...Are we there yet? The children want to know, for the umpteenth time. Because it's a very long drive from Missiouri to Washington -- we spread over four, almost five days to do -- a good part of it does feel like miles and miles on end of "nothingness". For me, the reprieve comes, once in a while, when we catch a lovely sight. These are my favourite ones...The sky,

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-18932606591947836102009-07-11T02:44:00.000-07:002009-07-18T02:05:02.402-07:00Stopping to Gaze

Above: Stopping to gaze at the sun setting -- a quick look out of the car window, one of the evenings on our long drive from the midwest to the northwest. The sun has set on another day. There's home we're setting up again, and the changes to adjust to, one day at a time, while life goes on day after day, everyday life that's not without its crazy moments -- we're hanging in there. And before

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-39174413802000138262009-06-12T21:38:00.018-07:002009-07-13T14:37:51.578-07:00Moving Along

Kait, after those independent steps (and it's 'look ma, no hands' before the 'look pa' this time!), is back to cruising again, and cruising more effortlessly now.Crawling also still gets her places fast, fast enough that if I ask Jon and Ben to watch her for a bit, one minute she's right under their nose, the next they are asking me (not just me checking with them), "Where's Kait? Where'd she go?

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-21164075193091374232009-06-08T21:47:00.017-07:002009-10-12T13:40:40.752-07:00Staying in touch

Our phone lines and internet were down for a whole week. Feels good to be connected again, and yes, being able to keep in touch like this is good, always good!We're still here, haven't moved. There's plan A (move early) and there's plan B (move later), depending on how things go with the house and Vern's schoolwork. He's still trying to figure this and that out (headache!). The children and even

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-24104567894133590672009-05-28T21:39:00.042-07:002009-10-12T13:43:30.654-07:00Hanging on

Left: Kait loves to cruise around the dining table and will go under the chairs, like a playground to crawl in and out of.And hanging on...we're trying to focus on the "busy" not the "crazy" in the "crazy busy".Vern tries and packs in longer days, if not nights, to give more time to his schoolwork, while also planning for the transition ahead. I try and keep up with my housework and the driving,

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-42425722884231417972009-05-20T22:18:00.026-07:002009-08-25T11:56:27.064-07:00Playing soldiers

Earlier last month...Right: Jon and Ben got to try out the different hats of a young man playing the part of a soldier at the annual World War II Weekend's battle re-enactment. What a treat it was for them, so happened there was no Chinese class that Sunday, and we got Jon a red beret, and Ben, a plastic green helmet, as souvenirs!Monday night... Left: Birthday boy Ben and funny Jon in their

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-76256255360352718812009-05-16T22:45:00.026-07:002009-05-28T08:06:19.733-07:00Going back to basics...

... back to nature?OK, not quite yet as there's more to done here. My allergies are still giving me a hard time, and I'm trying not to be "mung zang" (vexed) going about my usual business. There are the everyday things to try and keep up, other things to follow up and play catch-up, and all the rest of the stuff to get ready for the move but we haven't the time nor energy for. And call us crazy,

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-88707221279981584292009-05-07T21:57:00.000-07:002009-05-14T08:12:19.286-07:00A sneak peek

Two 2+ hour flights and really more like 6 hours later...here we are in Spokane, for these few days, for a look-see!Catch you later!

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-63379598870376058982009-05-03T22:16:00.009-07:002009-05-25T12:07:23.968-07:00Season by season

Each season has its story...These pictures I had snapped just outside our place tell of the different things each season brings:The neighbour's pink magnolia and our purple allium are both spring flowers, while the orange lily blooms later, closer to summer. The swinging bunny celebrates fall, and the cool icicles with or without snow add that magical touch to winter. Works for me: the regular

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314963879610204897.post-17778601295942674752009-04-28T21:47:00.019-07:002009-05-01T10:26:14.952-07:00More Star Wars fun

Think here's when I'm supposed to say:Boys, do not play with your food!But I need to lighten up, and these same kids who wear my patience thin with their whining and crying (it's not just from the baby) are also the ones who remind me to let my hair down...Star Wars sillinessJon and his version of Pod Racing, as he dares Ben to see who can toss the shelled edamame pods into the plate the fastest.

bphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539652855795741315noreply@blogger.com3